Skip the line and grab a Uniqlo jacket from a vending machine

You can get Best Buy products, Snapchat Spectacles and Instagram likes from a vending machine these days. You can even get a car. Now, Uniqlo wants to add its clothing to the myriad of items you can snag from a machine. The retailer is planning to in...

Google launches Android game vending machines, puts first ones in Tokyo (naturally)

Google launches gaming app vending machines, places first ones in Tokyo naturally

In a country that has no shortage of vending machines, Google Japan has decided to join the fray. The company has announced three dedicated Google Play machines that will sell 18 different gaming titles which are a mix of free-to-play and paid-for titles. To use the machines, you'll need a smartphone running Android 4.0 and NFC -- and that's about it. You rest the phone on the tray below the screen, and NFC pairing takes care of the rest. We put the machine to the test with our LG G2 on hand, and had no troubles choosing and downloading a free game through the machine. There's a slick unified animation from the giant touchscreen (which looks almost identical to drinks machines elsewhere in the country) to your Android phone of choice when the download kicks in. Also, for trying out another Google app, you'll get a 'present' which 'drops' down from the screen and into the vending tray once your download is complete.

Not an Android user? Don't worry, because the vending machine will offer up a Nexus 4 for you to try out, although you do have to give it back, however. Several boiler-suited Google employees will man the machines when they're switched on tomorrow in front of the Parco department store in Shibuya. For now, it looks to be a Japan-only promotion -- but it's another great excuse to hit up the country's vending machines. %Gallery-slideshow99512%

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Fuji Electric releasing first coin-operated EV fast charger, gives electric cars extra life

DNP Fuji Electric releasing first coinoperated EV fast charger, gives electric cars extra lifeFuji Electric Retail Systems Co. is no stranger to flipping coins for profit, thanks to a robust lineup of vending machines such as the A011. The Japanese company, however, has also branched out from dispensing hot and cold drinks for change by supplementing its offerings with a different kind of juice. Meet the FRCM00CK -- the industry's first coin-operated fast charger for electric vehicles, according to Fuji Electric. The charger measures 300mm wide, 400mm deep, 1,210mm tall and tips the scale at 41 kilograms. It also doesn't take paper currency, limiting its appetite to coins in ¥10, ¥50, ¥100 and ¥500 denominations. The machine's product page doesn't give specifics about how long it takes to charge vehicles but says it can provide a maximum charging time of 60 minutes. Incidentally, Fuji Electric's US site states that its FRC series of EV chargers can completely power up a 25 kWh electric vehicle battery in about 60 minutes. The coin-operated charger will cost ¥600,000 or about $7,600 and is slated for a 2012 release. Some may argue that it doesn't have quite the geek cool of the Roto-A-Matic or the WiFi vending machine. Still, the FRCM00CK is decidedly more electric.

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Fuji Electric releasing first coin-operated EV fast charger, gives electric cars extra life originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 02:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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